INTRODUCTION TO

INFORMATION

LITERACY

CUACE 101 :COMMUNICATION

SKILLS LEVEL : 1.1

Prepared by:

G. Kadyamatimba

Introduction� What is meant by information literacy?

� Is there a need for information literacy skills?

Introduction � Advent of information and communication

technologies (ICTS)

� Exponential growth of information characteristic of today’s information society. According to the Internet Live Statistics (ILS) http://www.internetlivestats.com/ as of (08/03/16):

� there were almost 1 billion registered websites on the internet although only about 25% of them are live,

� over 3 billion internet users

Introduction� over 3 billion google searches

� almost 3 million blog posts were written

� almost 7 billion videos were viewed on You Tube,

� over 55 million photos were uploaded on Instagram

� almost 2 billion facebook users,

� almost 118 million skype calls.

Presentation Outline� Introduction

� Learning Objectives

� Definition of information

� Definition of data

� What is information literacy?

� Skills of an information literate individual

� Organization of information

� Evaluation of printed sources of information

� Assignment

Presentation Outline cont….� Conclusion

� References

� Evaluation

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the session students should be able to:-

� Distinguish between data and information

� Define Information Literacy.

� Outline the importance of Information Literacy.

� List the skills and abilities of an informationliterate individual.

� Distinguish and list the different types of sourcesof information and their purpose

WHAT IS DATA?

Data is information in raw or unorganised form ( such as alphabets, numbers or symbols) that refer to, or represent conditions, ideas or objects

INFORMATION

Information has many definitions:

�According to the American Library Association (ALA), information is “... all ideas, facts, and imaginative works of the mind which have been communicated, recorded , published and/ or distributed formally or informally in any format.”

INFORMATION Cont...

�Scott (2012) defines information as “Data which has been recorded, classified, organized, related, or interpreted within a framework so that meaning emerges.”

INFORMATION Cont...From the definitions given above, we can say that the

characteristics of information are that it:�is connected to knowledge and communication� consists of spoken words, written communication,

sheets of music, photographs, paintings and scientificformulae.

�must have a context from which we can understand it.�must have a meaning.�comes from many sources.�can be discovered and created (research)

INFORMATION LITERACY

• Scott (2012) defines information literacy as “the ability to find, evaluate, and use information efficiently, effectively, and ethically to answer an information need.”

• Information literacy is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner (CILIP 2004).

INFORMATION LITERACY Cont..�Writing an assignment or a research paper is an

information literacy process.

�It involves finding and applying information to answeryour research questions to either support or disproveyour hypothesis.

� To do this well, you want to evaluate the informationyou use to ensure its quality and authenticity.

� While doing this you need to give credit to the peoplewhose ideas you use.

SKILLS FOR AN INFORMATION

LITERATE INDIVIDUAL

According to The Association of College and Research Libraries document called Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, an information literate individual should be able to:

SKILLS Cont..

Determine the extent of information needed.

• If you need only a quick fact or definition, you consult an encyclopaedia or dictionary.

• If you have to write a paper, then using an encyclopaedia will not give you enough information to answer your research question.

• You might need to consult multiple sources of information.

SKILLS Cont.....

Access the needed information effectively and efficiently.

� You know where and how to look for the information you need

� and you can find it quickly.

SKILLS Cont..

�Evaluate information and its sourcescritically, and incorporate selectedinformation into one’s knowledgebase.

� You can determine if the information you found isappropriate to your research and whether theinformation, or its source, is good or bad

� You learn from all that information you gathered.

SKILLS cont.....�Use information effectively to

accomplish a specific purpose.

� You write your research paper.

� Develop your new process or market a product

� You accomplish your task well.

SKILLS Cont...

Understand the economic, legal, and social issuessurrounding the use of information, and accessand use information ethically and legally.

� You understand the concept of intellectual propertyand know the consequences of plagiarizing someoneelse’s ideas.

� You know how to cite your sources (Association ofCollege and Research Libraries 2000).

RATIONALE FOR ILS TRAINING

� According to the Association of Research and CollegeLibraries (2000),

� Information literacy forms the basis of lifelonglearning.

� It is common to all disciplines, to all learningenvironments, and to all levels of education.

� It enables learners to master content and extend theirinvestigations, become self-directed, and to assumegreater control over their own learning.

RATIONALE FOR ILS TRAINING

• Advent of information and communication technologies (ICTs);-

• Exponential growth of information characteristics of today’s information society.

• Information from unauthenticated sources is becoming increasingly available

• Necessity to expose students/learners to a diverse range of information resources.

ORGANISATION OF INFORMATION

There are 2 approaches to organizing information and these are:-

� format ,

�content

FORMATFormat refers to the medium used to present or store the information.

� Information comes in many configurations:

-Paper / Print

-Audio (cds, audio cassette)

-Visual (Digital video disk,(DVD), video cassette, images/pictures, sculptors , charts

�Audio-visual (DVD, slide tapes)

FORMAT Cont...

�Digital/Electronic – computer hard disk, external drive, memory stick/flash stick , CD-ROM

Formats affect the ease of access to information.

Audio cassettes

Microfiche and microfilm

DVD and CD ROM

External Hard Drive and

Memory /Flash stick

Can you think of any other storage device that is not mentioned above?

CONTENT

�Content has two aspects

1. The subject of the information in an item

2. The characteristics of information in an item

THE SUBJECT

�Most information is organized by subject or discipline. In a library setting, information on the same subject is grouped together. This practice is called classification and it creates order and easy retrieval of information resources in the Library (Library of Congress Classification scheme at CUT Library)

THE CHARACTERISTICS

Information could be:

�Primary

�Secondary

�Factual

�Analytical

�Subjective

�Objective

PRIMARY SOURCES OF

INFORMATION � These are original materials on which other research is

based.

� They are usually the first formal appearance of research results in the print or electronic literature.

� They present information in its original form, neither interpreted nor condensed nor evaluated by other writers.

� Not translated by anyone else.

� Have not been published elsewhere

PRIMARY SOURCES Cont...Examples include:

�Autobiographies

�Correspondence

�Diaries

� Interviews

�Paintings

�Photographs

�Research journals

SECONDARY SOURCES OF

INFORMATION

�Secondary sources are edited primary sources.

�Repackaged primary sources

� They represent someone else's thinking.

�They describe, interpret, analyse and evaluate the primary sources.

�They comment on and discuss the evidence provided by primary sources.

SECONDARY SOURCES Cont...

Examples include:

�Biographies

�Bibliographies

�Books

�Literary criticism & interpretation

�Historical criticism

�Review articles

FACTUAL SOURCES OF

INFORMATION

These are also known as reference sources of information.

�Provide quick answers to queries

�Not normally read from cover to cover

�Can be general or subject- oriented

�Can be current or retrospective

�Can be hard copy or electronic

�Made up of real facts/things that actually exist

Question� Can you think of examples of factual sources of

information?

FACTUAL SOURCES Cont... Examples include:

� Dictionaries

� Atlases

� Handbooks

� Directories

� Almanacs/Year books

� Catalogues

� Encyclopaedias

ANALYTICAL SOURCES OF

INFORMATION

Information in analytical sources is usually provided by experts in a subject.

�Interpretations

�Analysis

�Criticisms

ANALYTICAL SOURCES Cont...

Examples include:

�Reviews

�Statistical digests

�Dissertation/theses

�Political commentaries

�Books

�Subject Encyclopedias

�Reports

Analytical Sources cont….

SUBJECTIVE SOURCES OF

INFORMATION Subjective information advances a unilateral perspective on an issue for example an editorial in a newspaper

�Personal view(particular to a given individual)

�Can emanate from a person's emotions

�Not easily verified.

�Can be interpreted differently by other people; as opposed to "Objective" information

SUBJECTIVE SOURCES Cont...

Examples include:

�Individual opinion

�Newspaper editorials

�Political party manifestoes

OBJECTIVE SOURCES OF

INFORMATION Objective sources of information advance a balanced or impartial perspective.

� Non-judgemental and balanced reporting

� Without bias

� Not influenced by personal feelings or interpretations

� Present all sides of a topic.

� Helpful in decision-making.

� Based on facts

OBJECTIVE SOURCES Cont...

Examples include:

�Encyclopaedias

�Subject Dictionaries

Evaluation of Printed

Information sources/ resources� Evaluation is the process of determining the value or

worth of an item. In other words, there is an attempt to establish whether the item meets its intended objectives or not.

Evaluation Criteria� Content

� Relevance

� Accuracy

� Authority

�

Evaluation Criteria cont….� Qualifications of the production team, ie the editor,

the contributors or the author and the publisher� Academic qualifications

� Suitability for the task (eg An Introduction to Accounting/ by Winky D or 100 Ways to Simplify Your Life /by Joyce Meyer)

� Professional reputation of the publisher(eg Longman vs College Press )

Evaluation Criteria cont….� Language

� Appropriateness of the language for the intended audience eg Is the language suitable for undergraduates, postgraduates or researchers?

� Comprehensiveness/ Coverage/ Scope

� No book is totally comprehensive on any subject field.

� Comprehensiveness is determined from the preface of the book

Evaluation Criteria cont…..� -Objectives

� - inclusions

� - omissions

� - emphasis

� - bias.eg consider a book entitled HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa which gives 80% coverage to Zimbabwe and 20% coverage to the rest of the Southern African countries

Evaluation Criteria cont…..� Organisation /Arrangement/

� Ease of retrieval of information

� Table of contents

� Headings – are they clear and self – explanatory

� Indexing – does it point to the correct information � Author index versus subject index

� Bibliography/ Referencies

Evaluation Criteria cont….� Up to dateness/ Currency

� For books, how often is the publication revised

� How many editions since the first edition

� For serials, consider the frequency of publication

� Technical Aspects

� Is the book a hardcover or a paperback?

� Are the graphics ( charts, diagrams,illustrations, photographs etc ) clear

�

Assignment� Can you select any 3 printed sources of information

and evaluate them according to the criteria for printed sources of information.

ConclusionThis presentation looked at the definition of data, information and information literacy as well as the skills that are characteristic of an information literate individual. It also looked at the different ways in which information is organised and finally at the evaluation criteria for printed sources of information.

References� Digital Libraries: dynamic storehouse of digitized

information /edited by N.M. Malwad et al. New Delhi:New Age International , 2009

� Printed Reference Material – 2nd ed./edited by G.L. Higgens. London:Library Association,1984

Evaluation� The lecture covered many concepts

� There was a lot of interaction between the lecturer and students through discussions and question and answer sessions.

� Graphics were used to illustrate technical concepts.

� The use of the power point slides helped to explain concepts

� Students were given an assignment at the end of the lecture

Evaluation cont…..� Students indicated that they had undertsood the

lecture and they expressed their appreciation by clapping hands